Anything more than "I think it would be better"? Seems like a non-issue to me; can you explain why you see this as a problem?
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balpha♦Oct 14 '11 at 16:56

2

@balpha It's not an issue so much as a UX improvement. It's reasonable to hide the clutter of comments, but to have to click the link to just show that one extra comment seems unnecessary.
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LarsTechOct 14 '11 at 17:05

10

@balpha: It's a valid UX concept. We used to call it dangling widows, and it's based on the concept displaying the last line of a paragraph when pagination tries to push it to the next page all by itself. In UI design: When displaying lists, leave some wiggle room so when the next page will only have one item, include that last item on the current page.
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Robert Cartaino♦Oct 14 '11 at 17:38

1

@RobertCartaino: I know the concept. I'm just missing the "here's why I think it's necessary" from the post. I'm not saying I'm strongly opposed to it. In particular since if we want to use the same space, it'll probably have to be 4/5, not 5/6, so this essentially means losing information.
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balpha♦Oct 14 '11 at 17:50

2

Ok, you guys are the experts, but I'll add my newbie two cents that I'd prefer to see all the comments, especially if there's 2 more or less to see the complete list. I can't tell you how many times I've started to answer or comment, only to realize that others have made the same comment just not seen by me because the website cut comments off. Ok, yes, now I try to remember to expand the comments, my bad, I guess, but you can't blame each individual user that much when many are having the issue.
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Erik EidtSep 8 '12 at 5:39

Don't see the need for this. No matter how many comments you show, there will always be a problem when there is one more than that. And as @AndriyM explained in this comment, the "add comment" link will still need to be there even in cases where you don't need to have the "show more comments" part visible. The number is 5, if the number changed to 6 or 7 or 14 or 37, there will always be a case where you could debate the value of showing one additional comment...
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Aaron BertrandFeb 24 '14 at 0:34

@AaronBertrand: I think "add" doesn't show on locked posts' comment threads, nor may it show for users having under 50 rep (as well as non-users). (I wasn't sure if those cases should be covered, which was why I didn't post an answer.)
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Andriy MFeb 25 '14 at 18:00

1

@AndriyM I still think this is going to save, what, 20 pixels of vertical screen real estate, and occasionally an extra click? And in an amazingly small number of cases. For comments. Let's just leave it alone; it's not broken.
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Aaron BertrandFeb 25 '14 at 18:11

@AaronBertrand It's not about changing the number. The number is 5/6. If there are 6 or fewer comments, show all of them. If there are more then 6 comments, show 5 with the +Number. It's really just a UX convenience. It's annoying to have to expand that list for just that one comment.
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LarsTechFeb 25 '14 at 18:15

Okay but as others have explained in other similar requests, you're just moving the goal post. Someone else will ask for 7 to be shown, and if there are more than 7, show 5 or 6 with the +Number. I'd be curious if you could show stats from Data Explorer on how many posts have exactly 6 comments, compared to <= 5 and > 6. Even if that is a large number (I suspect it's not, and it's a constantly moving target anyway), these are comments. I can think of at least 50 other UX conveniences that I'd rather have devs spend time on.
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Aaron BertrandFeb 25 '14 at 18:17

@AaronBertrand I was gunning for a personal inconvenience and what I presume to be a low-hanging fruit update. :-)
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LarsTechFeb 25 '14 at 18:20

@LarsTech but it will never stop. They change this for you then the guy who wants to see 7 comments asks for change. Then the guy who wants to see 8. And on and on and on ad nauseum...
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Aaron BertrandFeb 25 '14 at 18:34